Grades and Genius
by Nightcrawlerlover
Summary: AU oneshot. While watching Cody work on his math homework, Kaiba muses on Cody and what his future would possibly be like.


**Hey there! :) Here's a new Yu-Gi-Oh/Suite Life crossover story I cooked up one day. This time it's a oneshot, as I wanted to take a break from working on my other stories, including **The Suite Life of a KaibaCorp CEO**. **

**Prompts: grades, genius, numbers, math, smarts, report card**

**Disclaimer: Genius Kazuki Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh. The geniuses at the Disney Channel own The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. The lyrics to Learnin' to Fly by Tom Petty at the beginning of this oneshot belong to their respective owners. I own the fanfics I cook up from time to time.**

* * *

><p><span>Grades and Genius<span>

_Well, I started out  
>Down a dirty road<br>Started out  
>All alone<em>

_And the sun went down_  
><em>As I crossed the hill<em>  
><em>And the town lit up<em>  
><em>And the world got still<em>

_I'm learnin' to fly_  
><em>But I ain't got wings<em>  
><em>Comin' down<em>  
><em>Is the hardest thing<em>

_Well the good ol' days_  
><em>May not return<em>  
><em>And the rocks might melt<em>  
><em>And the sea may burn<em>

_I'm learnin' to fly_  
><em>(Learnin' to fly)<em>  
><em>But I ain't got wings<em>

_(Learnin' to fly)_  
><em>Comin' down<em>  
><em>(Learnin' to fly)<em>  
><em>Is the hardest thing<em>

_(Learnin' to fly)_

_{Guitar Instrumental}_

_Well some say life_  
><em>Will beat you down<em>  
><em>And break your heart<em>  
><em>Steal your crown<em>

_So it started out_  
><em>For God-knows-where<em>  
><em>I guess I'll know<em>  
><em>When I get there<em>

_I'm learning to fly_

_Around the clouds_  
><em>What goes up<em>

_(Learnin' to fly)_  
><em>Must come down<em>

_I'm learnin' to fly_

_(Learnin' to fly)_  
><em>But I ain't got wings<em>  
><em>Comin' down<em>  
><em>Is the hardest thing<em>

_I'm learnin' to fly_

_(Learnin' to fly)_  
><em>Around the clouds<em>  
><em>But what goes up<em>

_(Learnin' to fly)_  
><em>Must come down<em>

_I'm learnin' to fly_

_(Learnin' to fly)_

_(Learnin' to fly)_  
><em>I'm learnin' to fly<em>

_(Learnin' to fly)_

_(Learnin' to fly)_

_(Learnin' to fly)_

_(Learnin' to fly)_  
>-Tom Petty, <strong>Learnin' to Fly<strong>

Seto Kaiba knows Cody Martin all too well – even when Cody has a few secrets he keeps to himself and doesn't share with Kaiba. Such as how, whenever Zack calls him a "nerd", Cody replies that he prefers to be called "educationally gifted".

Kaiba smiles as he remembers this while sitting at the living room table in Zack and Cody's suite on the 23rd floor in the Tipton Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, his azure gaze clear, analytical and focused on Cody while Cody does his math homework. The pencil in Cody's hand makes neat lead marks across the fresh lined sheet of paper as Cody works out the numbers and figures out the answers. Kaiba, being a child genius, has already worked out the numbers and figures out the answers in his head; he knows what the average is (and the different types – mean, median, mode and range, as well as how to do them neatly).

He has seen Cody's report card, and as usual it's straight As. This makes him smile.

"You're very good with numbers, Cody," he says. Cody smiles in reply and says, "Thanks, Mr. Kaiba."

"Please, call me Seto."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Cody's brother Zack, who is a bright kid but lazy when it comes to schoolwork, sometimes asks whenever Kaiba tells him the right answers to all those math problems that Zack is never able to figure out himself.

Kaiba shrugs. "I just happen to be a child genius. Plus, you might say I taught myself how to do math problems at an early age, too."

Wow. A self-taught genius, and at a young age too. Both Zack and Cody look at each other and wonder – exactly how is Kaiba able to figure out the answers to all those math problems so fast?

Cody is said to be quite sensitive – even more so than his brother. But Kaiba tells him that he is brave deep down inside; he just doesn't know it yet. This makes Cody feel a little bit better while he smiles a little.

Now, Kaiba takes the opportunity right then just as Cody sets down his pencil to give his hand a rest. He then says, his ice-cold blue eyes looking into Cody's own sapphire orbs,

"Tell me something, Cody. You ever thought about starting a business, or even running a company?"

Cody thinks for a moment. How many times has he thought about starting his own business, or making a small business grow into a big one? Finally, he turns back to Kaiba and replies,

"Lots of times, actually.

"You see," he says as Kaiba leans in closer, wanting to hear everything, "many nights I have thought about using my smarts – especially my talent with numbers, which I know you've noticed, no doubt – to start my own business and make my own money."

The phrases "start my own business" and "make my own money" strike a chord in Kaiba as he remembers how he transformed KaibaCorp from from a weapons-manufacturer to the major provider of Duel Monsters, and smiles a little as he visualizes the business side of Cody coming out and basically becoming better and better over time with lots of practice and a little bit of luck as Cody practices his business skills – such as being frugal with his money and often being careful with spending – while growing up into the man Kaiba knows he will become someday.

It is then that Kaiba tells Cody, "You know something, Cody? You surprise me, and I'm proud of you. I'm sure that, with your frugality when it comes to managing money, you will go far in life. I think you'll make a great businessman someday, although I do like the idea of you winning the Nobel Prize one day as well."

Cody smiles back and replies, "Thanks, Seto. That sure makes me feel good. And you're right – I think I will make an awesome businessman someday. And I'm glad you like the idea of me winning the Nobel Prize in the future, too."

Kaiba smiles in reply; apparently he's taken a liking to Cody and likes the way Cody's mind works.

**Well, I hope you liked reading this oneshot as much as I did writing it. After all, crossovers with Yu-Gi-Oh are so much fun to cook up from time to time. And The Suite Life of Zack and Cody is so cool, as well as very inspiring, too. :) I especially like the character of Cody Martin because he reminds me of me – we both are quite studious and very scholarly as well. **

**Anyway, be sure to read and review, please. However, I prefer nice feedback, as I'm a firm believer in the saying "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."**

**~Nightcrawlerlover**


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